


Now and Forever

by AquilaTempestas



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Humour, Jealousy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28107273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquilaTempestas/pseuds/AquilaTempestas
Summary: Lance confronts Silver after the double tag battle in the Dragon’s Den.  Why does he dislike Silver so much? He couldn’t possibly be jealous over a girl, right?
Relationships: Kotone | Lyra/Wataru | Lance
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Now and Forever

Lance couldn’t believe it. Everything was set up perfectly for a tag-team battle with Lyra, but no, that annoying smut faced little brat just had to walk in and claim her as his own. It was no secret Lance disliked Silver – he didn’t like people who mistreated their pokémon, but his hatred for Silver ran far deeper than that. The boy wasn’t just annoying – he was the obstacle standing in the way of forming a deeper connection with Lyra. Every time he thought he had a chance to get to know her a little bit better, Silver would appear on the scene and drag Lyra away.

It was almost as if the boy was doing it intentionally just to annoy him. He wouldn’t be surprised if that was true. This was some form of petty payback after Lance had crushed and annihilated his team with a single pokémon. It had to be. Why else would Silver be trying to damned hard to ensure Lance kept his distance from Lyra? Bastard.

Clair didn’t make things easier either. She didn’t want to fight alongside someone who had humiliated her in battle, but at least she was happy enough to ally with Silver. What a pairing that would be. Unfortunately, Silver had screwed things up. “I’m not jealous, grandfather,” Lance stated, his arms folded across his chest. “Silver has nothing on me.” Except his friendship with Lyra. Did she like him too?

The elderly man raised an eyebrow. Lance caught the beginnings of a smile crossing the man’s face. “For the past few days, you’ve been complaining about a red-headed boy who mistreats his Pokémon. I know you’ve been keeping an eye on Lyra, Lance. I know you helped her deal with Team Rocket.”

“It was the right thing to do.”

“But you could’ve asked someone else to accompany you. Someone more experienced, but you waited for Lyra instead.”

All right. So his grandfather was right about that. He did wait for Lyra. He wanted to know what sort of trainer she was. Spending some time with her would help him get to know her a little bit better. Isn’t that what people did when they were curious to know more about someone else? Ask them to help out with things?

“I… heard about her heroic deeds at the Azalea Well, and I knew she was a trainer to keep an eye out for. I knew she’d make it the league and challenge me for the title.” Which was true. The news about Lyra had spread across the region like wildfire, and he was keen to learn more about her. Sure, she looked a bit dorky in those bizarre tacky overalls of hers, but he found it cute. Wait. Cute? That wasn’t a word he thought existed in his vocabulary.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Lance. When I met your grandmother, I-”

Lance held a hand up. “I don’t need to know, grandfather. No disrespect or anything, but I don’t want to know.”

There was a pause, then, “You should invite her to the grand opening of Battle Resort. You’ve already got your ticket, but I noticed you did have two. Somehow I know the other one is not for Clair.”

Taking Clair would be a disaster. Most likely, she’d try and pick fights with anyone then embarrass herself in front of the Elite Four again. Karen, in particular, enjoyed rubbing her victory in Clair’s crestfallen face. He frowned. He wasn’t sure why the two girls disliked each other so much. Come to think of it, Clair didn’t seem to like anyone. She had a particularly dislike towards Lyra too. How odd.

“I want you to be happy, Lance, and I can see this is a chance for you to make it happen. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because someone else will come along and claim her. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than watching the person you love end up with someone else because you failed to take that chance.”

Lance took the tickets from his grandfather and put them away. He didn’t respond to his grandfather’s words – he didn’t need to. The man was always giving out good advice – it’s why he was made the Elder of the Blackthorn Clan. He adjusted his cape then exited the shrine, suddenly becoming a little more self-conscious. Surely, this couldn’t be too hard? All he had to do was tell her the truth.

.

Lyra arrived in Blackthorn City and immediately headed straight towards the gym. It was her first week of being Champion, but rather than answer questions about her future, she decided she had some things to settle first. Such as asking Lance for a proper battle against Clair like it was supposed to be originally. She wasn’t sure why Silver had intervened – she suspected he just hated Lance. Maybe Silver saw him as a threat. Who knew what thoughts ran through that boy’s head?

“Lyra. What a surprise to see you here,” Clair said, her arms folded across her chest.

Entering Blackthorn Gym still made her feel a little uneasy. There was just something about a gym built atop a lava pool that was intimidating. It was also really hot. Sweat beads clung to her forehead. Gross. “Nice to see you too, Clair.”

“Slacking off on your duties?”

Lyra frowned. She didn’t know why Clair hated her so much. The first time she had walked through the gym doors, she felt uneasy, as if she was some joke everyone else was laughing about. “I’m looking for Lance. I thought he might be here.”

“Oh, so now you look for him? Last I heard he was doing all the work.”

Her frown remained. “What are you talking about?”

Clair sighed. “You’re so oblivious, aren’t you? Lance is doing all the work and you don’t even acknowledge it. Maybe you’re just enjoying the attention he’s been giving you, but you don’t care about him. I told him pursuing you was a bad idea, but he never listens. Stubborn fool,” she spat. She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder then carried on. “Don’t look so surprised. I know about all your secret little meet ups around the region. Lance told me. I suppose he thought I could give him some advice.”

Oh. Clair knew about their meet-ups. Lyra didn’t think much about them at first - Lance did help her with Team Rocket at the Lake of Rage – but the more she thought about it, the more curious she became. At first she thought it was coincidence – they just happened to be in the same place at the right time, but what if he had intentionally arrived knowing she would be there too? The gym leaders probably would’ve informed Lance she was in town.

What if he thought she couldn’t handle it? Was that why he had come? Because he thought she wasn’t strong enough to handle Team Rocket? Was the entire thing a test? Maybe that’s why he was holding back - to get a glimpse of her skills before she reached the league so he would have the advantage of knowing what to expect. That bastard. Not to mention he had given her a crappy ‘gift’ too. Whirlpool. What a useless move. She could just fly over it or go around.

“So is this what this is about? You dislike me because you think I’ve mistreated your family?”

Clair seemed stunned. “You don’t get it, do you? I thought you were smarter than this.”

Lyra snorted. “Then tell me what it is because I’m starting to think that I’m some joke for your family to laugh at. Lance ‘helps’ me take down Team Rocket, but he was probably just there to spy on me, and then he gives me a useless HM move. Then to further add insult, he asks me to fight with him – was he afraid that I was going to defeat him again?”

“…You’re totally blind.”

“Blind?” Lyra retorted, her anger rising. She hadn’t come here to be toyed with! “Give me a straight answer, Clair.”

“He loves you, Lyra.”

Wait? What? She almost laughed – surely, Clair was joking… Right? Then why did she look so serious? Lyra raised an eyebrow. “What?” Lance, the former Champion of Johto-Kanto, and heir of the Blackthorn Clan, liked her? Pfft. Yeah right. It sounded like some fairytale romance where the regular girl wins over the noble knight. He could have any female he wanted – why would he go for her? “I find that hard to believe.”

Clair sighed. “He travelled all around Johto to find you, Lyra. He could’ve asked anyone else to help fight Team Rocket, but he wanted you. Males in our clan find a female they like and try to impress her – that’s what Lance was doing. He wanted to show you in person that he was strong enough to protect you from harm. He didn’t want you to know him as the Champion – that’s why he never told you. As for the HM, Lance could’ve given it to any other challenger, but he gave it to you. I know it’s a useless move and all, but it’s the thought that counts. Let’s not forget that he wanted you as his battle partner.”

Wow. That certainly blew her theory out of the water. So Lance was one of those guys who followed old tradition which wasn’t too surprising. The Blackthorn Clan was one of the oldest clans in the world so it was no real surprise they had beliefs and values like the ones shared by their earliest ancestors. They believed that a male should always pursue the female and that no sex should occur until marriage. A knight in shining armour. That’s how Lyra described him as. Noble, just and a firm believer in the old ways.

“…Why would he be interested in me?”

Clair shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know, but we can’t choose the ones we love. He’s probably in the Dragon Den. That’s where I would go next if I was Lance.” The woman then sighed. “Look… I don’t hate you, okay? If I did, I wouldn’t be talking to you.”

“Oh, is that a truce?”

“I respect you, Lyra. You defeated me in battle and you defeated Lance…. But don’t think we’re best of friends… That’s a long way coming still, but maybe in time I can learn to tolerate your presence.” She smirked. Was that a joke? It was hard to tell with Clair. Still, at least she wasn’t biting her head off so that had to count for something. “Now go. Talk to him before it’s too late.”

Lyra didn’t waste another second.

.

Lance returned to the Dragon Den hoping to find Lyra there instead. He had sent her a text message so he hoped she’d show up soon, but instead he stumbled across Silver. Great. Just who he wanted to see. Had Lyra asked Silver to show up too? Probably not. He suspected his grandfather was to blame here – the man had opened the den up to all members of the public for training.

“You’re not welcome here,” Lance said.

Silver turned around and snorted. “Oh, it’s just you. Thought it was someone important.”

Why the nerve… Lance drew in a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to get angry. What if Lyra walked in? As much as he hated it, Silver seemed to be one of Lyra’s good friends, and getting angry with Silver wouldn’t do him any favours with Lyra. “Why did you do it? Why couldn’t you have just teamed up with Clair instead?”

“Your cousin is weak.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That isn’t true.”

“Yeah, but Lyra and I crushed her. She’s weak!”

Was Silver asking for a punch? Because if he kept talking, he was well on his way to receiving a black eye. “If I recall, Lyra did all the work. You just finished our pokémon off,” Lance pointed out, doing his best to remain calm despite the circumstances. “You’re the weak one here, Silver. You were given the scraps.”

“I had trouble on focusing on the actual battle because of how stupid you and your cousin look.” Silver then smirked. “But you didn’t come here to point out my flaws – you’re here because you think I’m a threat to your relationship with Lyra.”

Lance snorted. “No.”

“I saw how frustrated you looked when I grabbed Lyra. Admit it – you’re jealous!”

“You’re not a threat to me. Therefore, I have no reason to feel jealous of an unproven trainer.” Okay. That was a lie. Yes, Silver was weak and lacked good morals and such, but Lyra obviously saw something in him to keep him around. He hated that. He hated how Lyra seemed to enjoy being in Silver’s company despite the jerk he was.

“I saw how you were looking at Lyra during our battle. So excited to see her. I would’ve taken a photo if I had my camera on me. Priceless, really.” Silver’s smirk widened. The bastard was enjoying this. Prick. “It must be painful being on the sidelines yeah? How many sleepless nights have you had thinking about her?”

Lance growled. “Shut up.”

“Did I touch a nerve? Maybe I should tell Lyra you’ve been fantasizing about her at night.”

The smug bastard thought this was hilarious. No one made fun of him, and Lyra’s friend was no exception to this. “I have _not_ been fantasizing about Lyra.”

“Oh. No dreams about her then? You know, I had one the other night… Lyra was pinned down beneath me, moaning my name…” Silver snickered. “What are you? Sexually repressed? I guess it’s true what they say about the old dragon clans then… Bunch of freaks.”

That was it. No more being nice to Silver. It’s not like the guy wasn’t asking for it. Lance lunged, and tackled Silver then connected a fist to his face. Silver cried out, then fought back, spitting in his face. Lance rolled off Silver and made a disgusted noise as he wiped Silver’s saliva off him. Bastard. Surely, he had to be Rocket boy. He fought just as dirty as those thugs.

“Silver? Lance?”

Both boys glanced over their shoulders. Lyra was standing at the entrance accompanied with Clair. Clair rolled her eyes though he didn’t fail to see the amused glint in her eyes. “Glad to see you two getting along,” she said.

“He started it!” Silver exclaimed, thrusting a finger at Lance.

“You insulted my family.”

Silver climbed to his feet and spat at the ground. “This isn’t about your family; it’s about Lyra. It’s always about Lyra, and you don’t have the balls to say what you really think to her face. You’re no real Champion.” Silver gave him a shove then stormed out of the cave. Clair drew in a deep breath then exhaled.

“I’ll go after him.”

Before Lance could stop her, Clair darted out of the room and hurried after Silver. He could hear them both arguing and Clair accusing Silver of being a big baby. He would’ve snickered if the situation wasn’t so grim on his end. He turned to Lyra. “…I thought you might’ve been here earlier so I came to the den and saw Silver instead. Silver said a few things and-”

“Clair told me, Lance. She told me everything.”

Of course Clair did. “Right. So you know.”

“I want to hear it from you. Is it true?” she said in a tone barely above a whisper.

Lance looked aside then turned to face her again. He had faced so many challenges before in the past and overcame them, but this was far more difficult. He could train and battle dragons. He’d willingly hunt down criminals and enter dangerous environments without fear. He didn’t feel nervous fronting the media and he could tolerate Marina’s annoying fanclub. But to confess? That was something else.

“I knew you were special from the very first time I laid eyes on you, Lyra. When I heard your name mentioned in the papers, I knew it was only a matter of time before you reached the league to challenge me for the title. I received reports Team Rocket were stationed in Mahogany Town, and I knew I had to investigate and put a stop to it. I could’ve done it alone… But I heard you were in town and I didn’t want the pass the opportunity to up to spend time with you. I wanted to know you better, and what better way than to actually spend time together?”

He ran a hand through his hair then rubbed the back of his neck.

“Truth be told, I enjoyed your company, and was disappointed that our time together and ended so quickly,” he added. “You’ve probably heard it before, and maybe you’re sick of hearing it, but you are special, Lyra. You helped bring down a criminal organization – not many people can stake that claim, and you also went on to conquer the league. Not to mention, you climbed Mt Silver and defeated Red too. Not even I was able to achieve that.”

“You really believe I’m special? I never saw it that way. I always thought I was just some ordinary trainer who just happened to be in the wrong places at the right times,” Lyra replied then smiled at him. “For awhile I honestly thought you were spying on me.”

“Sorry. I never intended to give you that impression… Clair suggested that I be a little upfront about it, but that didn’t sit well with me. Didn’t want to ruin the surprise after all.” He smiled back then rubbed his neck again. It was a habit he did when nervous which wasn’t very often. “I didn’t want you to have this preconceived idea of me beforehand. You can imagine making and maintaining friendships at this level is quite difficult. Most people just want you for your fame and money, but they never really spend time trying to know you better. Either that, or they’re intimidated by your status.”

“I’m sorry about Silver. I did want to battle with you, Lance, but you know how Silver is. He’s very protective of me. I gave him a second chance to be a better person and I think my show of kindness surprised him. He never had any friends before meeting me.” She paused then frowned. “I don’t view Silver as anyone more than a friend, and I know he doesn’t view me as romantic partner. I brought it up with once and he laughed.”

So, she didn’t like him in that manner. That was a relief to know. “Er, sorry for hitting for him.”

“I’m not even going to ask for details, but I hope you two to make an effort to get along in the future. I know Silver can be difficult, and exceptionally stubborn, but he’s not that bad of a guy when you get to know him better. He’s a bit like your cousin, actually to an extent.”

He could see the similarities. Both proud, stubborn and a refusal to accept a loss. “We should have a rematch again. A tag-team battle against Clair and Silver. Wouldn’t that be interesting to witness?”

“Sounds a little unfair, doesn’t it? Two Champions on the same side,” Lyra replied then smiled. “Not that I’m complaining. You know I looked forward to fighting with you again after the Team Rocket episode and I’d rather not be against you.”

“Heh. I was just about to say the same thing.” Silence. She lowered her gaze. Well, it was now or never. “I was wondering, Lyra… Battle Resort is opening to the public this weekend, but I do have early tickets to beat the crowds before the grand ceremony. My grandfather received two tickets, but he’s not going to go so he’s given them to me. They’re VIP tickets so we’ll have access to first class on the ship and on the island.”

She lifted her gaze again meeting his own. “Are you asking me to come with you?”

“I want you to be there, Lyra.” He almost blurted, ‘With me’ but decided against that. He didn’t want come across as sounding too forceful.

“I would love to come with you,” she replied. She then gave him a teasing grin. “Is this a date?”

“If you’d like to call it that, then yes, I suppose it is.”

“Thank you for the invite.”

“You don’t need to thank me… I’ve been waiting for the right moment to ask you. I should be thanking you really. You showed me there are still trainers who can form deep bonds with their pokémon, and that you’re willing to risk it all to stop those who mistreat them.” He smiled. “So thank you, Lyra.”

She blushed. “Oh stop it, you’re being too kind.”

“So… What do you say we get out of here?’ He gestured to the exit. “The sun should be setting soon, and the view is great from the mountains. I want you to see it. We’ll be away from the crowds… Just you and I.” Finally. Some actual time together away from everyone else and public scrutiny. No need to worry about Silver crashing the scene either.

She nodded. “That would be great. I’ll just summon my dragonite,” she said, dropping her hand to her pokébelt. The dragonite. The one his grandfather had given to her that Lyra had raised on her own.

“We can take mine. He can fit us both on you know. We’re lightweights.”

Lyra pulled her away. “Well if you are sure.”

“Positive.”

He started heading out towards the cave then stopped at the entrance and looked back taking the chance to observe her new look now that the Silver business had been dealt with. Lyra had since abandoned the dorky overalls in favour of something more flattering for her figure. They really did her no justice. Now she wore those skinny denim jeans and a tight fitting black top. She had also abandoned the pigtails choosing to wear her hair down.

“Something wrong?” she said, heading towards the exit.

“Everything’s fine.”

Suddenly, the future seemed so much brighter.


End file.
